Skype

The tech giants are only just starting to recognise what they can potentially offer to their customers - and by offering their users new services they hope to tie them into their existing social networks.

Earlier this month the European General Court upheld a ruling in Sky's favour, deeming that Sky and Skype's respective brand names sounded too similar and may lead to 'customer confusion'. This is the latest in a 10 year legal battle over Skype's right to have the word 'Sky' within their name.

The truth is that email actually constitutes a very poor medium for modern communication. The intensity, frequency and sheer number of conversations required these days means that email cannot cope with providing the context required for effective conversation.

What makes us as consumers choose one brand over another? Is it the price? Is it the software? Or does it simply come down to our own preference? It is fair to say that we have, in today's society, become inundated with choices. The question is therefore; when it comes to technology, and more specifically 'essential technology', what makes a consumer choose one product over another?

Call me a Luddite but I remember the good old days. When you fancied someone and wanted to 'go out' with him or her you'd have to actually ask him or her out. i.e. pluck up the courage to talk to them in person. Yes, actually ask them verbally. This often meant you would soon have to meet their parents, or perhaps worse, their brothers and sisters. But things have changed.

Often the issues of identity and loss become key, especially if expats frequently relocate to different countries and settings: Who am I? Where is home? How do others perceive me? Do I want to fit it, and how can I do that, without losing aspects of my identity, which are important to me?

I first met Bryan online nearly two years ago, during a series of interviews for a BBC Radio 4 series called Don't Log Off that has been on the air since January 2012. The concept of the show is to seek out people's stories from all over the world - not by traditional or conventional research methods.

Starting a business can be expensive, but it doesn't need to be. If you're cash strapped you can get set up and ready to trade for much less than you think. Here's a few money-saving tips on how to start your own business on a budget.

Microsoft is sitting on an incredible array of technology properties. Of all the big tech companies, it has arguably the best set of toys in its living room to play with. Walk into the Microsoft playroom and you are instantly spotted by the Xbox Kinect.

Gone are the days of sending off a CV and then waiting for the telephone to ring with the offer of an interview. Employers are starting to utilise modern technology when it comes to interviewing potential employees...